80% of Hong Kong Residents Oppose Japan's Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge Plan

63% of Hong Kong Labor Groups Surveyed Say They Will Reduce Purchasing Japanese Food and Traveling to Japan

About 80% of Hong Kong residents oppose Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (referred to as "treated water" by the Japanese government), according to a survey.

On the 25th, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), the largest labor organization in Hong Kong, announced the survey results on the 23rd, stating opposition to Japan's contaminated water discharge plan.

The storage tanks holding contaminated water inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, photographed on February 2. Photo by Yonhap [Image source=Yonhap News]

In a survey conducted by FTU this month targeting 601 Hong Kong adults, over 80% of respondents expressed concern about Japan's contaminated water discharge plan, and about 80% opposed the plan.

63.1% of respondents said they would reduce purchases of Japanese food products, and 51.9% said they would reduce visits to Japan.

More than 40% of respondents supported the Hong Kong government's plan to strengthen radiation inspections on Japanese food products, about 25% said imports of food from Fukushima and nearby areas should be banned, and about 20% wanted a complete short-term ban on all seafood imports from Japan.

Over 60% of respondents expressed distrust in the Japanese government's food safety inspections, and about 50% were not confident in the Hong Kong government's radiation measurement process for imported food.

The FTU stated, "According to the survey results, it is absolutely justified and supported by public opinion for the government to strengthen regulations on Japanese food products," urging the Hong Kong government to tighten import regulations on Japanese food.

According to Hong Kong authorities, Japanese imports account for about 2% of the total local food supply. Additionally, 6.75% of Hong Kong's total seafood consumption is from Japan.

Earlier, on the 11th, Hong Kong authorities announced that they would strengthen quarantine measures on Japanese seafood ahead of Japan's contaminated water discharge.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.